BackDoes progeny pip merit in politics? Advantages and ‘struggles’ of being a dynast
Though the BJP has positioned Modi as the antidote to dynasty politics, it can barely claim to be immuneThough the BJP has positioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the antidote to the evils of dynasty politics, the saffron outfit can barely claim to be immune to it
PremiumThe Congress party’s decision to nominate former Union finance minister P. Chidambaram’s son Karti Chidambaram, 47, as its candidate from the Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu to contest the Lok Sabha polls, has come under severe criticism from both within the party, as well as from other quarters.
While a section of the party’s state unit said that the people hated the ‘family’, and alleged that Karti’s candidature was perhaps approved because of his political lineage and the patronage it supposedly thrives on, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to highlight the ‘dynastic’ fabric of the Congress, which has mostly been led by members of the Nehru-Gandhi family since Independence.
But, Karti refused to entertain his critics. “I know the BJP likes to keep harping on it. But for every ‘dynast’ they name in any other party, I will name one in the BJP," he said.
Though the BJP has positioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the antidote to the evils of dynasty politics, the saffron outfit can barely claim to be immune to it.
From Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party and Kanimozhi of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to Milind Deora of the Congress, all are second-generation politicians. Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s son, Dushyant Singh is the BJP MP from the Jhalawar-Baran constituency, while former Himachal Pradesh CM Prem Kumar Dhumal’s son Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur constituency. The pattern proves that family comes first, and merit is reduced to a metric used to judge how the nominated next of kin performs.
“All of us have worked very hard to come up and no one sees that. It’s true that we get some advantage in getting a party ticket, but that will not get us elected," said a second generation Congress leader from Karnataka, requesting anonymity.
“Don’t they also do it?" or “our supporters asked for this", are probably the most standard answers from politicians to the ‘dynasty’ jibe.
Ironically, most politicians lobbying for tickets for their next of kin, including children and grandchildren, may have fought family domination during their initial days in politics.
Former prime minister and Janata Dal (Secular) chief H.D. Deve Gowda also refuses to concede that he promotes his relatives, even though six of his family members are currently in electoral politics.
While the ‘outsider’ has to depend on payouts and efforts to build his own voter base and constituency, members of a political family has the advantage of being accepted by the voters, who identify themselves with the family he or she comes from and their political inclinations.
Mumbai-based political analyst Jai Mrug said this kind of politics is “not a reflection of India, but the maturity of our democratic system". “In the absence of a mature democracy, the only other thing that the party or the voter falls back to is known surnames and, possibly, from the same family."
Though political families are also found in the US or Japan, the Indian way appears to be more pronounced due to its ability to keep the larger population away from the electoral process. The inclusivity that politicians promote seldom include its workers, who are encouraged to work for the party, but without expectations.
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